Face to Face With Some Great Adventures

Don’t get us wrong, we love our Land Cruisers as much as our clients do. And there is little that can surpass the adrenaline rush of clients on safari witnessing their first sighting of a male Lion standing proud in all his glory.But it gets better. Clients no longer have to remain within the confines of the safari cruiser for the entire duration of their safari. There are some great adventures that can be had by dedicating a few hours in the itinerary to exit the comfort of the vehicle… and go face to face with nature.

Arusha National Park Canoeing

Enjoy a peaceful and scenic canoeing safari following the shorelines of Momella Lake, under the shadow of Mt. Meru. View buffaloes, bushbuck, giraffes, hippos and many water birds living in and close to the water.

Lake Manyara Cycling

An easy cycle ride down the Great Rift Valley wall; into the farming village of Mto Wa Mbu. Experience local cultures from the bike, ride through some of the Manyara ground water forest and between small herds of wildlife on the lake shore. We can include a local lunch for your guests, prepared by a lady in the village.

Waterfalls & Elephant Caves

On this two hour hike through the forested slopes of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area you will discover a magnificent waterfall and incredible elephant caves created by elephants digging up the earth and ingesting the mineral rich soil. You may see buffalo, bushbuck, waterbuck and baboons, also attracted by the soil.

Walking safaris in Serengeti and Arusha National Park

Walking is a wonderful way to get close to nature and to learn about some of the smaller species and ecosystems. The walk is slow paced, stopping under shade to hear interesting facts from your knowledgeable guide. Walks are offered to guests aged 16 and over.

Village Walk in Mto wa Mbu / Karatu

Visit Mto Wa Mbu village for a great cultural experience with an experienced English-speaking guide who grew up in the village! Visit local farms, schools, a kindergarten, local homes, the market and milling machines. A similar experience can be arranged in Karatu, popular for overnight stays before visiting the Ngorongoro Crater.

Night Game Drive in Lake Manyara / Serengeti / Tarangire

A unique perspective on the National Parks with an opportunity for sighting nocturnal animals. Lion sightings are more common and where lions are mostly sleeping in the day time, at night they are almost always active! At Lake Manyara the drive is done inside the park, whereas other parks is in private concessions on the border (available from select camps).

Erosion Control Tree-Planting

Hundreds of young tree saplings (predominantly native species) are grown at Gibbs Farm in Karatu, as part of an effort to help control erosion and reforest the environment. Over the last 15 years, much of the farm’s estate forests have been restored through this program. Join in on an excursion to transport young trees from the farm nursery and plant them in community schoolyards and other environments.

Coffee Tour in Arusha

Offered from select hotels in and around Arusha
This tour on the foothills of Mount Meru will allow your clients to witness first hand the process of washing and drying coffee beans on the farms. The guide explains how the bean is nurtured, harvested, dried and finally roasted to produce a myriad of different blends that sate the taste of the most ardent of coffee connoisseurs.

Hiking Empakai Crater

Located in northern Ngorongoro, Empakai is a mysterious crater with a lake below where flamingos can be sighted throughout the year. With no road access, exploration is on foot only for those seeking a thrilling hike in the Crater Highlands. This can be done as a half day excursion from various Ngorongoro properties.

Hot Air Balloon Safaris in Serengeti and Tarangire

Although this is a popular and well known excursion, what many are unaware of is that this excursion is available in central, south, north and western Serengeti in various seasons, as well as in Tarangire. Regardless of where your clients are staying, this is a great way to offer them a birds eye safari!

Like the Shira route, the Lemosho route approaches Kilimanjaro from the west and then joins the Machame route. Hence everything that has been said about the Machame climb route also applies to the Lemosho route.

The first two days on the Lemosho route take you through beautiful and very remote rainforest, with good chances of seeing wildlife. The start of the trail is also known as the Lemosho Glades.

Lemosho is usually a longer trek, seven or eight days, and there are many variations of it. Which one you take depends on the operator. (A really good operator will also time their departure and stagger their camps in a way that avoids the heaviest traffic on the Machame trail.)

The length, the remoteness and the added transport cost make Lemosho a rather expensive option.

However, the longer itinerary and the fact that there are no budget operators (you can’t do this route on a budget) lead to excellent success rates on this route and it has become quite a popular one.

It is a route for people who are confident in their ability to hike in difficult terrain and camp out for extended periods, who want a superb wilderness experience and for whom cost is not the main consideration.

Mount Kilimanjaro Umbwe Route the most difficult and demanding route on Kilimanjaro, and the most spectacular.

The Umbwe route is not a technical route, but it is a very direct, very steep, very tough, and in parts very exposed route.

The Umbwe route joins the Machame route near the Barranco Camp on the second night. On the other routes Barranco Camp is reached on the third or fourth night. Goes to show how much steeper Umbwe is…

Parts of the trail on the first day are so steep, they can only be negotiated because the tree roots provide something like steps. The tree roots also serve as handle bars to haul yourself up where needed…

The second day is also steep and uphill all the way. The exposed ridge is not for people uncomfortable at heights… And have a guess why the “Rope Rock” (Jiwe Kamba) is called “Rope Rock”…

This is the most difficult and demanding of all Kilimanjaro climb routes. Don’t even think about it unless you have experience climbing mountains.

Mount Kilimanjaro Shira Route this one catapults you to some serious altitude on the first day.

The Shira route approaches Kilimanjaro from the west and then joins the Machame route. Hence everything that has been said about the Machame climb route also applies to the Shira route.

There are several variations to the Shira route. It can be done in six days but most operators also offer a longer version of it. (A really good operator will also time their departure and stagger their camps in a way that avoids the heaviest traffic on the Machame trail.)

That and the added transport cost can make Shira a more expensive option.

The first day on the Shira route is different to other climb routes:

It follows a four wheel drive route. So you either walk on the road for most of the day (not very attractive) or you opt to drive as far as possible.

The latter not only means you skip the first stage of the climb, the rainforest zone. It also means that you catapult your body to a height of over 3500 m/11500 ft without time for proper acclimatization.

If you live near sea level and you only flew into Tanzania the day before, this may hurt.

Overall, Shira has excellent success rates if the schedule involves a night at Karanga Valley (making for a short and easy day before the summit day). However, the good success rate is partly due to the operators on this route being higher level than on the more crowded routes.

Like the Machame route, the Shira route is for people who are confident in their ability to hike in difficult terrain and camp out for extended periods. It has less traffic but it is a more expensive option. You should also be confident about the way you will react to the altitude on the first day.

Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route the most popular climbing route up Kilimanjaro.

The Machame route is also called the “Whiskey Route”, a reference to the “Coca Cola Route” Marangu (see above). Machame is “tougher” than that.

Machame is indeed a more difficult climb in some respects, but it does have much higher success rates than Marangu, especially if you choose the seven day version. (According to estimates about 60% of the climbers on Machame make it to the summit, and over three quarters reach the crater rim.)

The seven day version gives you a very short day before your summit attempt, which leaves plenty of time to recover, acclimatise and get ready. The six day version has the same problem as the Marangu route in that respect. See above.

The Machame route is not technically difficult. It is more strenuous. The trail is often steeper and it involves many ups and downs, crossing a succession of valleys and ridges. But that’s why it is also one day longer than Marangu.

Still, for people who have never done any longer hikes in their life and are not well prepared it can be demanding and tiring.

There is also the Barranco Wall to cross, a very steep, one and a half hour climb that will require you to occasionally use your hands for balance. (It sounds and looks a lot more difficult than it actually is!)

Well, and you have to camp all the way. If you go with a budget operator that alone can be demanding, especially if the weather turns bad.

As for scenery, the Machame route is absolutely spectacular: the Shira Plateau, the Lava Tower, the Barranco Wall… You start from the west, circle Kibo on the southern side, and then descend on the Mweka route in the south east. The variety is hard to beat. Machame is considered the most scenic Kilimanjaro climbing route.

For that reason the Machame route has become the most popular climb route on Kilimanjaro. The advantage of that is that prices have dropped and you can find many budget operators on it. The disadvantage is that the Machame route is very crowded.

If you are confident in you ability to hike in difficult terrain for days in a row, if you like camping and nature, but money is very tight, then Machame may be the Kilimanjaro climb route of choice for you. You will have to put up with the crowds.